


Playgrounds at Night

by Beautifully_Blue



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Some angst, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-23
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-26 14:56:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14404506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beautifully_Blue/pseuds/Beautifully_Blue
Summary: Maka Albarn runs into Soul Evans one midnight while she's at the local park. A friendship blooms as they keep running into each other there. Soon that friendship starts something else.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fanfic and it's mostly a free write. I know how it's going to end and I know a general idea of how it's going to get there. I'm still planning out specific details for future chapters, but we'll see.

**_Maka's POV_ **

I wasn’t angry. I was too shocked to be. Spaghetti noodles and tomato sauce clung to the front of my, now stained, white shirt. A meatball fell from my sleeve landing with a _splat!_ on the floor that made me wince slightly.

 

Medusa giggled. “Oops! Sorry, Maka, that was a total accident." Which was so very convincing and just oozed sincerity.

 

Her little followers tittered with laughter behind her. The rest of the cafeteria was silent and staring. No teachers were in sight, and the lunch ladies didn’t care enough to do anything. No one would.

 

None of my friends were around either. Tsubaki had to stay after class to make up a test she missed when out sick. Liz’s probably smoking behind the school, and her sister, Patty, is most likely with her. They aren’t here to back me up this time. The shock subsides.Now, I’m mad. My eyes narrow into a glare. Medusa only smiles innocently.

 

_Bitch._

 

Erika ‘oohs’ mockingly. “I think she’s mad.”

 

Yeah, but mad is an understatement.I wanted to drive my fist into their faces and mess up their stupidly perfect makeup. I’m smarter than that, though.I won’t sink to their level.Instead, I wipe a spot of tomato sauce off my cheek with the side of my hand, swallowing my anger and smiling at my tormentors. Medusa seemed caught off guard when I did so.

 

“It’s okay,” I smile sweetly. “It was an accident.” Without warning, I dropped my lunch tray.I landed in the pile of red sauce that had splattered on the floor when Medusa had shoved my tray onto my chest.

 

The plastic tray clattered against the linoleum tile floor. The red liquid was sprayed onto Medusa and company’s clothes.I was sprayed too, but I was already covered. So what’s a little more? The small group before me shrieked, crying about their clothes and hair. Calmly, I spin on my heel and stride off, leaving a fuming, tomato sauce covered Medusa in my wake.

 

The cafeteria door swings shut behind me.Tears stung my eyes as I ran towards girls’ restroom.I made it just in time to break down into tears.I sat with my back against the cold wall, and hot tears trailed down my cheeks.

 

When I was finished, I dragged myself over to the sinks. Gripping the edge of the counter, I looked into the mirror. My reflection stared back at me blankly. Dull green eyes rimmed red and puffy, with pale skin and dishwater blonde hair pulled into pigtails. My body is too lanky, and I have knobbly knees. _Ugly._

 

I tear my eyes away from the mirror and grab a couple of paper towels to dampen.I lean down and wipe the tomato sauce off my bare legs. It was a miracle I wore a skirt today or my jeans would've been stained.I unbutton my shirt and take it off attempting to remove the stain. This came to no avail. Lucky for me, I keep a sweater in my locker. Mama taught me to always be prepared.

 

I open the bathroom door and peer out into the hall, scanning for teachers. Empty. I quickly make my way to my locker. If I’m caught wearing a tank top with nothing over it: I’ll be dress-coded. Which means I’ll basically get detention for having shoulders.

 

I stop at my locker and open it quickly, trading the yellow sweater neatly folded inside for my ruined shirt.I pull it on. The cotton material is soft against my skin.It’s heavy for the weather today, but it beats wearing a stained shirt that smells like spaghetti all day. The sweater is too big for my scrawny frame, truthfully. It stops about an inch above the hemline of my knee length skirt, and I have to roll up the sleeves a couple of times to use my hand.

 

I begin to switch out the books from my morning classes with my afternoon once when fast approaching footsteps catch my attention. I look up and see Patty, Liz, and Tsubaki rushing towards me. Their expression told that they knew what had happened and what they were feeling about it. Tsubaki was concerned, Liz was pissed, and Patty was smiling, but she’s always smiling, so that’s not unusual.

 

“Maka,” Tsubaki called. She practically smothers me in a tight hug. “Oh my god! Are you okay? Your eyes are red! Have you been crying?”

 

Liz broke in. “If that bitch made you cry, I’ll make her cry!” She plucks a stray spaghetti noodle that had found its way into my hair somehow.

 

“Ooh!” Patty joined in, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “We could throw mud on Medusa. Ruining her precious clothes will definitely make her cry!”

 

“Guys,” I calm them down.“I’m okay.I’m fine." And when they didn’t look convinced. “I promise." It’s only a partial lie. I’m fine now. The question is whether I’ll be fine later.

\----------------------------------------------------------

**_Soul's POV_ **

The cafeteria doors slam shut behind Maka. I noticed how her fists were clenched tightly. Her green eyes had been flashing with anger before she smiled at the bully in front of her. Slowly, chatter started to pick back up. Whispers and gossip spread across the cafeteria like a wildfire.

Kid is the first one to break the silence at our table. “For a moment there, I thought Maka might actually punch Medusa. It’s not like she doesn’t deserve it.”

 

BlackStar, his ego not allowing the conversation to go without mentioning his apparent ‘godliness’ once, interrupted loudly. “I would’ve punched her if I was Maka. IT WOULD SHOW JUST HOW MUCH OF A GOD I AM COMPARED TO YOU PATHETIC MORTALS!”

 

I smack the back of his blue-haired head. “Do you have to be so damn loud all the time?” I rub my temples. A headache starting to throb inside my skull.

 

“What about you, Soul.” Kid asks me.

 

I shrug. “I don’t really care.”

 

BlackStar laughs obnoxiously loud and slaps my back. “THAT’S OUR SOUL! AS HEARTLESS AND UNFEELING AS EVER! BUT STILL NOT AS GREAT AS I AM! HAHAHA!”

 

Kid sighs and mumbles to me. “Does he have an off switch?”

 

“If he does, I've yet to find it,” I respond under my breath. In the years I’ve known Star, nothing has even damaged his ego in the slightest of ways.

 

The bell signaling the end of lunch rings and we head to our class.\

 

Entering the class, I notice that Maka had changed into a yellow sweater that was too big for her. It seemed to swallow her small frame in the fabric. Kid starts to mutter to himself about Maka’s pigtails being an ‘asymmetrical travesty’ and flies off towards her.

 

BlackStar and I drop down into our seats. I zone out everything and everyone until Kid return looking satisfied.

 

Everything is calm until Liz starts shouting, cheeks red. “You guys are the worst!”

 

Tsubaki and Maka were laughing hysterically.

 

A few minutes pass and the classroom door slams shut. I look up to see Professor Stain rolling in sitting backward on his office chair as usual.

 

“Something amusing to you, Miss Albarn?” The professor asks the blonde girl, who was stifling laughter behind her hands from something Liz had muttered in her ear.

 

“No, sir. Definitely not." She answers, glaring at Liz, who was shaking with contained laughter.

 

“Alright then,” Professor Stein moves on. “Let’s get today’s lesson started. We shall be doing another dissection." He smiles in anticipation, while the entire class groans.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**_Maka's POV_ **

 

The sounds of drunken laughter, stumbling footsteps, bodies bumping into furniture and walls from down the hall pulls me out of study mode.

 

I throw my pencil down on my desk in disgust. Anger coursed through my body. I stand up and pull on my boots. I didn’t even bother trying to be quiet as I leave. Papa's too drunk and occupied by someone to notice my absence until morning. I’ll be back by then, though.

 

I set off down the sidewalk, no destination in mind. I just need to get away for awhile. I should be studying for the upcoming tests, but I can’t focus with that going on just down the hall. The chilly night air bleeds through my clothes. I shiver, my breath condensing in the air every time I breathe out. I forgot to grab my jacket as I left.

 

I’m such an idiot.

 

I watch my feet as I walk. I make a mental list of books I want to read eventually. It’s a pretty long list considering the hundreds of books that I’ve read in my life. Sixteen years of absorbing the knowledge from those books and lessons from my parents’ less-than-dysfunctional marriage then divorce combined together and made me the person I am now.

 

I look up as I enter the park a few blocks from my house. I sit down on one of the swings. I just barely swing back in forth absentmindedly. A tear trails down my cheek.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

_**Soul's POV** _

 

My sneakers scuff against the sidewalk as I move along, headphones blaring music in my ear. Streetlights illuminate the path in front of me. I stop in my tracks when I notice a swingset. One swing is occupied.

 

Maka Albarn sits there wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, but no jacket to be seen.

 

Is she trying to freeze to death?

 

Her long legs push her back and forth without her feet ever leaving the ground.

 

Her usual pigtails are of nonexistence. Instead, her ashy blonde hair tumbles down past her shoulder, framing her face. I debate with myself about turning around or not.

 

Turning around sound like a pretty good idea. I start to turn when Maka moves. She wipes her hand across her cheek.

 

Is she crying? Shit.

 

It isn’t cool to leave a crying girl alone. Especially when she’s alone in a deserted park at midnight. That part is just dangerous. This leads me to another question.

 

Why is she in the park a midnight? I mean, I’m in the park at midnight, but I have a valid reason for not being home.

 

I take out my headphones and stuff them in my jacket pocket. I approach her. Maka looks up when she hears my footsteps.

 

“Soul?” Her voice is thick with emotion but manages to crack in such a way that I feel a pang in my chest. Her olive green eyes are starting to turn red from the tears.

 

“Hey, Maka,” I say, sitting down on the swing next to her’s. “What’re you doing out here?”

 

“Just… thinking,” She wipes another tear away. I ignore it. Maka’s a pretty prideful person and she never shows her weaknesses. She’d probably just get angry with me if I mention it.

 

“It’s pretty cold out. Where’s your jacket?" I ask, changing the subject.

 

She sniffs, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I left it at home. Stupid, huh?”

 

“Yep.” I deadpan.

 

“Hey!” She protests, but there’s not much objection in her tone.

 

“You said it, bookworm. Not me. I’m merely agreeing with you.”

 

She leans over and punches my shoulder lightly. “Jackass.”

 

I grin at her. “I’ve been told.”

 

“Yeah, well, it’s true,” She retorts.

 

I snort. “Is that all you’ve got for a comeback? That’s sad, Albarn.”

 

“Shut up, Evans.”

 

“Whatever,” I say in reply.

 

Suddenly, the blonde laughs. It was so soft and quick that I could’ve been my imagination, but I knew it wasn’t. There was too much sadness in it. She sighed.

 

“I…” She stops, hesitating. “I wish that everything wasn’t so complicated. I miss the days when I was younger. It was less… dramatic. I guess that’s the word I’m going with. It was a simpler time. There weren’t all these expectations, and it was just easier not having to worry about the future, you know?”

 

She turns and looks at me, eyes wide and deep green in the light from the streetlights. Unfortunately, I did know. I nod in agreement, and she continues.

 

“Ever since high school started, everything has just gone to shit. With Medusa and everything. It’s all too much for me sometimes. I’m tired. Some days, I just want to stay home and sleep.”

 

“I get that. I do that.” I comment on wanting to stay home and sleep. “Speaking of Medusa, why didn’t you punch her? A fight where she’s put in her place is long overdue.”

 

Maka laughs again, but this time there’s a bit of humor in it. “I wanted to. I assure you I did, but retaliating will just make thing worse.”

 

“I bet it’d make you feel better.” I’ve been in a few fights, so I know this from experience.

 

Maka shakes her head. “Mama always said-" She stops abruptly. Her eyes turning dull and unfocused, her face blank of emotion.

 

“Maka?” I try to pull her out of her thoughts. Sometimes your head isn’t the best place to be, especially when upset. “Maka?” I try again, growing concerned.Her eyes glaze over and she stares off into space in front of her.

 

I put my hand on her arm, drawing her out of her stupor. “Maka?”

 

She snaps out of her thoughts and looks down at my hand on her arm. I retract and mumble, “Sorry,”

 

“It’s fine. My parents aren’t my favorite topic to discuss especially recently." She explains in a bitter tone. I watch her as she stares at her boots, scuffing the dirt under the swing she resided on.

 

“You too, huh,” I say aloud, then mutter to myself. “That’s unexpected.”

\----------------------------------------------------------------

_**Maka's POV** _

__

I heard him, but I didn’t tell him that. After a few moments of silence pass before I speak again.

 

“Hey, Soul?”

 

“Yeah?” He looks at me, eyes dark red.

 

“Do you often roam empty parks at midnight?”

 

He chuckles, running a hand through his spiky, white hair. “Every now and then. Just when I need to get away.”

 

“Do you do it pretty often?” I ask, curious.

 

“Almost every night since last year.”

 

I stare at him confused. “Is this the first time you’ve come to this park?”

 

“No. I generally come here. It’s convenient. Why?” He asks looking at me in confusion.

 

“Because I come here almost every night starting a few months ago,” I tell him, watching his eyes widen. “How have we never crossed paths?”

 

“Different times?” Soul suggests. “I come here pretty late. I’m actually here a couple of hours earlier than normal.”

 

“What time?” I ask.

 

“Typically two or three in the morning. This is the earliest I’ve ever been out.”

 

“That’s why.” I agree. “I’m here around midnight to one, two at the absolute latest.”

 

Soul shakes his head and chuckles. “We were always missing each other by an hour or two.”

 

I nod and smile. I tilt my head up and watch the night sky. We sit in silence. I was strangely comfortable in Soul’s presence. Another breeze tears through the playground sending shivers through me and causing goosebumps to rise on my skin.

 

“Here,” Soul’s says. I look up to see him holding his jacket out to me. I’m about to refuse when he interrupts me. “Don’t even think about it, Albarn. Just put on the damn jacket before you turn into a popsicle. Consider it my good deed for the week.”

 

“Well, thank you, then.” I chuckle and take it from him. I slip it on, reveling in the new-found warmth. It smells like firewood. We fall back into a comfortable silence until Soul breaks it again.

“It’s getting pretty late,” He says, looking at the screen of his phone. “What time do you need to be back home?”

 

“Before the sun’s up,” I answer simply. It’s after midnight, so it’s technically Saturday which means no school. But that also means that Tsubaki or Liz and Patty will want to go out and do something. “But, I should probably go home anyway.” I decide.

 

I stand up and so does Soul. I look at him in confusion.

 

“I’m walking you home.” He says like it’s supposed to be obvious.

 

I give him a look. “I can walk home by myself, Soul. I’m a big girl.”

 

He snorts at my remark. “It’d make me feel better. There are a lot of weirdos who roam around at night.”

 

I raise a brow at him. “Weirdos like you?” He glares at me. “You walked right into that one,” I inform him unapologetically.

 

“Fair enough.” He agrees.

 


End file.
